“Her articles on the tragic death of Riley Hughes from Pertussis and his family’s strong effort to promote whooping cough vaccinations for pregnant women were compassionate and heartfelt, evoking a strong reaction from the community.

“Her work drew attention to an incredibly important public health measure that will go a long way in preventing similar tragedies in the future.”

“Good journalism deserves to not only be recognised but rewarded, and Cathy’s calls to action will help save lives by ensuring others are vaccinated,” Dr Miller said.

The AMA (WA) congratulated all winners of the awards and said it was proud to be a long time and continuing sponsor of the awards.

“The judges remarked that the health category was an especially strong one, highlighting that health care is incredibly important to the community,” Dr Miller said.

“Without journalists willing to tackle the often difficult and complex subject matter of health care, we as a community would be worse off. We are lucky to have journalists of Cathy’s calibre in WA,” he said.

"It is my hope that we can tackle the challenges our profession faces, united as one. If we dislike our working hours, our pay, gender inequality or low training opportunities, we can change these together. As a nurse in my previous life, I know that when a profession stands as one, people listen."

Dr Rebecca Cogan

Blog

Sexual health the focus for Dr YES trip

Monday, 21st January 2019

Following a hectic 12 months, Dr YES farewelled 2018 with its annual end-of-year rural trip to the South West. Over five days, a team of 25 volunteers reached more than 2,000 high school students from Mandurah to Busselton and everywhere …